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What mess kit do you reccomend?


Scoutfish

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While at the Campore this past weekend with the troop, I ( as well as my Webelos son) noticed that all the boys used mess kits.

 

To be honest, I never really put alot of thought into them.

 

Being a pack, I never really had to.

 

Sure, the cost might be higher than disposable, but it's a one time cost...at least for a bunch of years.

 

So I am seein g several bennefits to this. Ecologically friendly, no litte/no waste. Less use on natural resources, less waste and less pollution during manuafacturing.

 

Not to mention that this is my son's econd year of being a Webelos...he'll need one soon.

 

I want one now. If I was to make a point of using it at all our activities and campouts, maybe the cubs and their parents will notice too.

 

Now here's the thing....almost every scout had a different type of mess kit. Some were combo units that snapped or locked together. OThers were just dropped in a mesh bag. Others looked like the scout raided mom's kitchen cabnets and grabbed stuff that wasn't being used.

 

So: Is there a type or brand kit that you suggest based on your experience with it?

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Personally I use standard Lexan outdoor dinner set with a mesh bag for storage and drying and a double-ended Lexan Spork. If backpacking I leave the plate and bowl at home and just bring the cup and spork. I have seen many older scouts use just a metal sierra cup and a spork. I have not found any scouts who actually use the traditional mess/cook set for more than their first year. With patrol cooking they are not really needed. Another new item I have started to see are Guyot Designs Collapsible Camping Bowls and Silicone Collapsible Bowls/plates/cups. These are kind of cool in that the are lightweight, easy to pack and are unbreakable.

 

I would recommend against metal unless it has a handle because hot dishes are too hard to hold.

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scoutfish....we chatted about this a year or two ago. Our Pack does not use paper or styrofoam and if a parent shows up with it they are on trash duty the entire weekend. My first camp out using paper we had 27 bags of garbage for 20 people. Last spring we had 6 for 85 and three were last bags of the day and not full, put them in the dumpster to keep the critters out of them.

 

 

Plastic keeps the food warmer and the boys don't get their hands burnt when you put hot soup in a plastic bowl vs. metal.

 

Lexan is great.......I ran into a deal bought 70 sets if you drop me a line I will send you two complete sets. All ya need to do is add your choice of flat ware. Walmart has a deal 6 forks for a buck so for three bucks I bought enough for sons scout career with any luck.

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Any ol' plastic bowl. Coolwhip containers are great. At the hut we have a whole stack of plastic take-out containers from one of the local Chinese restaurants which are perfectly sized. For jamboree, I bought all three of us plates and bowls from Wal-Mart for less than a buck. On front-country campouts I'll take both, but just the bowl backpacking.

 

I really don't like eating out of a cup. Okay for soup, oatmeal or grits, but not a regular meal.

 

Don't waste the money on a BSA mess kit. The frying pan makes good plate, but the rest is wasted.

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I've been using Guyot Design's squishy bowl and a spork for about 5 years now.

http://guyotdesigns.com/product.php?id_product=73

http://www.scoutstuff.org/the-spork-4-pack.html

 

Other popular items were Orikaso - http://www.orikaso.com/

and X-Bowl - http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/67

 

Nearly everyone on our backpacking trips the past few years have had one of these three lightweight options. Squishy bowl is my favorite.

 

Scout On

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The typical aluminum mess kit with a plastic drinking cup that has measurements so that it can be used to measure cooking ingredients is something that new scouts like. As artjrk says, they stop using them within a year. The aluminum dish/pot transfers heat too well, so is too hot to hold. The cup is too small to make a cup of hot cocoa, and also becomes too hot to hold when filled with hot cocoa. You will probably buy one for your son anyway, because its one of those things that make boys feel like real campers.

 

We promoted frisbees. Cheap (often free givaways as promotional items); indestructible, and after dinner you can play with it. We recommended the local salvation army thrift store for spoon, knife, and fork, and a plastic mug - again a typical promotional giveaway. Cost is about $0.10 per item. A scout is thrifty.

 

 

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Basement: Yeah, I remember discussing somethinmg along the lines of mess kits, but couldn't find the thread.

 

And I will probably end up buying an aluminum kit because that did seem to be the common denominator in all the different kits...and my son will want that because they had that. Sure, he'll ditch it soon enough, so I'll find s cheap one.

 

I have a couple of those blue ceramic covered metal plates that have a half divided section and two 1/4 sections. They are camp plates, but they are bigger than my plates I use at home!

 

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Shop at Goodwill for items....for myself, my mess kit changes with the activity I'm doing, as well as the time of year. There is no such animal as a universal mess kit, my own thinking, a mess kit should reflect it's owner.

For the most part, my general kit consist of a small fry pan, a wooden bowl, a cup, a small kettle (all Goodwill - cost, about 2 bucks), and a lexan spoon.

Overall, I can build numerous kits just by mixing, and matching...here's one I've created for reenactments...

 

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh427/Chowanoke/DSCI0133-2.jpg

 

If I'm traveling light...maybe a kettle and cup for tea, and a sheath knife to whittle, and scrape down a branch to wrapped my bannock around to bake over a fire...and a bit of bark often serves as a plate (aka Charger) if one is needed....

 

 

(This message has been edited by le Voyageur)

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Historically, mixed reviews on the official BSA mess kit. I've always liked them. Sure the pot is too little to cook much in, but I always find the whole kit handy. Would not recommend buying it new; check ebay, they usually have several from '60s and earlier. Better construction. If the kit is old enough, the cup may be aluminum, which I like.

 

As a scout, I also used a military surplus mess kit. Kinda of simple--just a fry pan and divided plate--but I used it quite a bit. Sturdy and scout proof. With the kit assembled, you can store silverware, salt and pepper, and other items inside it. A little heavy by today's standards but very rugged, and readily available from all eras, from WWI to present (well, the WWI ones are getting rare, but WWII forward--plenty).

 

Others have mentioned, there is no requirement to have one. Frisbee, pie tin, thrift store bowl and spoon--all have served honorably in the field.

 

In a related thread from earlier this week, a mil surplus canteen cup is an awesome addition to any scout's mess kit. Carried one everywhere--day hikes, backpacking, tail gate camping--as a scout. Still have it and use it. Big enough to cook in too.

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Dog and cat bowls work well. :)

 

Me, I used to have some old speckled plastic bowl from da early 60s. Used that campin' for decades. Lexan spork, plus one of those 12oz plastic insulated mugs yeh get from da gas station for a buck or two, but only in da cold weather. Old bowl finally died, so now I just use one of da cheap lexan bowls. Gotta agree that those aluminum mess kits are worthless.

 

B

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If the they are Boy Scouts, they should be patrol cooking, not individual cooking. In that environment, they need a lexan or silicon bowl & cup, plastic spoon, and a pocket knife. Anything else is just added weight and bulk.

 

Frisbees are great. Some people cover with a large ziplock and then throw away the ziplock after the meal. Too much trash. Wash the frisbee with all the other cook supplies.

 

If attend any of the high adventure bases you will find they recommend you eat everything in your bowl, lick as much as you can off the bowl, splash a little drink in the bowl, rub with your finger to get the last little bits off, and then drink the liquid. Your bowl should be almost completely clean and just needs a brief dip in the soapy water, rinse, and sanitation buckets.

 

That is what all of the adults in our troop do. All the scouts who have attended a national high adventure base (20%+ of troop memebership) are famiilar with the concept and have pared down their mess kits.

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being one of those odd-ducks that doesn't like food touching unless it's made that way... I like the plate with the 3 sections. I also have a hobo utensil set and a metal coffee cup. I like the metal coffee cup because with my girl scout troop I will just put water in it and set on fire and then use a coffee singles since I'm the only 1 that drinks it and I will only drink 1 cup.

 

my son's troop has patrol boxes with plastic dish sets that hold up extremely well - only time we have to replace is due to someone keeping something too close to the fire or stove... but when he went to phimont it was 1 strong plastic bowl and 1 spork along with water bottles.

 

when camping I do like the mesh bags... it is so hard to keep a name on a dish (though nail polish works best) so name on bag and can hang up to dry, and keeps everything together in pack. when using own messkits both his troop and my daughters troop have each scout wash own messkits so they don't get missing parts and then the dishwashers wash cooking gear and such.

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